The Commissioners and their Chairperson, Kitty Jung, cited the not-for-profits goals of reducing costs over out-of-state certifications, promoting the production and consumption of accessible, healthy food, and the protection of the land and resources as well as surrounding wildlife through conservation and biodiversity practices through the implementation of organic standards.

BARO received its USDA Certification within seven months of its founding and is certified by the USDA in four key areas: crops, wild crops, ranching and handling. 

“The ability to certify farms, ranches and other organizations in these key areas will open up new opportunities for farmers, ranchers, processors, transportation companies and others who are necessary to deliver organic food, both in Nevada and nation-wide, opening new opportunities for this industry’s growth within Nevada,” said Ben Rush, Program Director for Basin and Range Organics.  “We are also building an educational resource base which we are making available at the push of a button on our Website.  We want to make sure that we are providing the kind of service that will make the process easier, less time consuming and less expensive in several ways to become Organic Certified, while showing farmers and ranchers the economic advantages.  At the same time, our side-by-side goal is to inform the public in general as to the benefits of using and buying USDA Organic foods, helping to create a growing demand for our certified community,” he commented.